Marian Cota

Marian J. Cota, age 97, formerly of Garden and Rapid River, passed away peacefully surrounded by her family on Sunday, March 3, 2024 at Bishop Noa Home in Escanaba.

Marian was born on October 27, 1926 in Cooks, MI the daughter of Azarius and Marilda (Simpson) Plante.

When Marian was in 8th grade, she learned with the help of her 4-H – Home Ec Teacher how to remodel clothing – making something out of old stuff.  At age 16 she started quilting.  She sewed, quilted, and made things out of both old and new stuff throughout her life.  One of her quilting claims to fame are the beautiful Christmas socks she made for so many family members and friends.  An estimated 60+ Christmas socks made with love will continue to be displayed for many Christmases to come.  Marian’s impact on the quilting community will be remembered fondly by those who learned from her and found inspiration in her work.  May her stitches forever weave into the fabric of our memories.

As a teenager, Marian along with her siblings and friends enjoyed going to school dances where they used to have real orchestras like Ivan Kobasic and his Orchestra.  At one dance she met a handsome young man named Earl John Cota.  On November 4, 1944, Marian and Earl were married.  They made their home in Garden, Mi where they started to raise their family.

Along with the duties of being a busy wife and mother, Marian knew education was very important for herself and her family.  She enriched her education by attending Bay de Noc Community College to study Social Work and Accounting.  She chose to start a career in accounting when she was offered a job as the bookkeeper for St. John Baptist Church and Peninsula Lumber Company, both of which she did for many years.

In 1957, Marian became a member of the Kates Bay Home Economic Group.  Many of those years she held the chairperson position.  Along with the local Home Ec activities Marian held the office of Cultural Arts Chairperson on the State Board in Lansing.  Her selfless nature led her and others to team up with the Family Community Education project making quilts for the children at Bay Cliff Health Camp and other needy children through Social Services.  Knowing children have additional needs she was involved in putting backpacks containing school supplies together and adopting families at Christmas time.

She once said her many years of work with the Hospice group from Manistique was one of the most rewarding things she ever did.  It brought her so much joy to give those at the end of life the comfort they so richly deserved.

Marian was a member of St. John the Baptist Church since 1944.  During her 80 years as a St. John’s Church member, she served in many capacities.  She was the bookkeeper, secretary for the Altar Society, served as a CCD teacher for 20+ years and worked at Marygrove.

She served as a 4-H leader, wanting to give back to an organization that had given her such a wonderful start.  She was a leader for 17 years teaching many children how to sew, cook, garden, start and maintain collections whether it was bugs, stamps or wildflowers.  With the help of Arlene Bartholomew and Pat Rasmussen she took many children camping and on numerous field trips to help them learn about nature and the blessings of our area.  One field trip took Marian and many Delta County high school 4-H Members to Washington D.C.

Marian was an exceptional baker and many of her family members and friends will remember her sweet rolls fondly. The warm sweet rolls were the Christmas morning treat that her family always looked forward to. One particular year, she made 19 pans of rolls!

Travel is something Marian thoroughly enjoyed.  Early in life her travels kept her close to home but as the years went by, she and Earl along with family and friends traveled from Alaska to Florida, Massachusetts to Nevada, Canada to Texas and nearly every state in between.

When most people retire, they imagine a life of leisure.  Not Marian and Earl, they decided to fulfill a dream of having a greenhouse.  They opened Grandma’s Greenhouse and maintained it for 7 years.   Everything in the greenhouse thrived because it was grown with love and water!

Marian is survived by her brother Franklin (Ruby) Plante; sons; David Cota, Daniel Cota, daughters; Rosemary (Neil) Gauthier, Dawn Perkins, Susan (Gary) Plante, and Bonnie (Willie) Nelson; and grandchildren 22; great-grandchildren 24; great great-grandchildren 12 as well as several nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Now that Marian has passed into the arms of our Lord, we should remind ourselves that while this is the end of Marian’s physical life on Earth, it’s the beginning of an eternal and beautiful journey for her.

Marian joins her parents; spouse Earl Cota; brothers Joe, John, Raymond, Alfonse, Alfred, William, and David Plante; sisters Evelyn Dahms, Myrtle Edwards, Jeanette Clifton, and Elizabeth Louis; daughters-in-law Linda Cota and Sandy Cota; grandchildren Brant Cota, Theresa and Adam Plante and Melody Cota.

Family will receive friends on Saturday, March 9, 2024 from 12 noon to 2 PM at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Garden, MI. Mass of Christian Burial will follow visitation at 2 PM with Rev. Fr. Jamie Ziminski officiating. A luncheon will follow in the parish hall. Marian will be laid to rest in the spring in New Garden Cemetery.